This may be the ride of the future

Around a month ago the Philippine government unveiled plans and schematics for what the Department of Transportation envisions as the future of the jeepney. A few short weeks later, the DOTr shared several photos of the initial designs for what they envision as the future of the iconic jeep.

As you can see in the photos shared by the DOTr’s Facebook page, the new jeeps look nothing like what we’ve all come to know. They look more like miniaturized buses, with large windshields and exits located on the sides.

https://www.facebook.com/DOTrPH/posts/940324812773322

That’s not a bad thing – the larger windshields gives improved visibility to the driver, while the side exits allow passengers to alight directly on the sidewalk and not on the road. The new vehicles will also adhere to international safety standards, and will use new eco-friendly powerplants.

The designs are not final obviously, and are still subject to change depending on the requirements of the goverment as well as the result of the consultation to the public. The new jeepneys are the spearhead of the government’s jeepney modernization program, which envisions the removal and replacement of jeepneys that are more than 15 years old with safer, more eco-friendly alternatives.